MIAA Roundup: Peabody boys hoop falls just short in preliminary round

The Peabody boys basketball team fell just short against Medford in a Division 1 North preliminary matchup, as Medford defeated Peabody 49-48 at Medford Monday night.It was a back-and-forth game throughout, as Medford held a slim 21-18 lead at the half. Peabody held a one-point lead at the end of three quarters (39-38). The Tanners found themselves down 49-48 and had the ball with five seconds left. Peabody had a baseline jumper blocked and the ball went out of bounds to Peabody with just one second left. Peabody inbounded the ball from underneath its own basket all the way past halfcourt, and the halfcourt heave was eventually missed with no time remaining on the clock.Peabody coach Thad Broughton praised his team’s performance.”It was a back and forth game the whole way that could have easily (gone) either way,” Broughton said. “My team unfortunately was on the wrong end of a really well-played game. I am very happy with my team overall and how they handled themselves throughout the whole season.”This was Broughton’s first year coaching the Tanners. Leading the way for Peabody was Mike Gould (19 pts). Jason Hiou had a strong performance as well for the Tanners (10 pts).Medford’s Sean Doncaster was too much for Peabody to handle (23 pts).Peabody finished the season with an 11-12 record.Salem 73, Malden Catholic 68At Salem, it was a tale of two halves for the Witches. Salem found itself down 34-22 at the half. Salem dominated the second half, outscoring Malden Catholic 51-34.Salem cut the halftime deficit from 12 all the way down to one going into the fourth quarter (47-46). Salem took quick control of the fourth, and went up seven early in the frame. Once Salem took its lead in the fourth quarter, the Witches never looked back.”The biggest change between the first half to the second half was our defense,” said Salem coach Tom Doyle. “My team had a much better effort in the second half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It made our offense run more smoothly and my team was able to knock down many more shots in the second half.”Salem’s Christian Dunston iced the game away at the free-throw line, as he went 6-6 from the stripe in the last two minutes of the game. Marvin Baez led the Salem charge in the second half. Baez scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half.Salem continues its journey on Thursday, as the Witches will hit the road and play North Andover.